Whims, Wits, and Whiskers: A Californian Pet Tale

Whims, Wits, and Whiskers is about seven cousins—five dogs and two cats—that inspire each other to become artists. And as they take their talents on the road, a whirlwind adventure unfolds. After getting to know each other a little better, the seven find inspiration in their diversity and decide to work together toward a common goal: art.

Each discovers a unique talent, and they start planning. They’re going to team up, pool their resources, and go on tour enjoying the experience of life as artists, sharing their special talents with the world.

Conflict erupts, but serendipity shines as this contemporary fable about animal wisdom, resilience, and creativity unravels. Music available.

Review of Vaishali Sethi, Zealot Reader

What do you expect from a story that has animals? Not few but many. What do you expect from a story that has some six dogs and two cats coming together under one roof and then all of them going out into the open and joining a number of other animals and singing what some hummingbirds had taught? Sounds weird, right?

Well, ‘Whims, Wits, and Whiskers: A Californian Pet Tale’ is a very beautiful and exuberant take on a situation similar to the above one. Three pet dogs, bored with their routine life are happy to host two of their cousins (dogs). They discuss and realize that they all want to do something amazing, but are really unsure what this amazing thing could be. All are independent and have their own likes and dislikes and thus are unable to come to a consensus.

What follows is the sudden arrival of two of their other cousins, this time, cats from Hollywood. The cats are artists and know a great many skills. With the help of these cats, and of course, little hummingbirds, who interestingly join the story at many places, the cousins are able to find what they would love to do. Just like the famous line from Paulo Coelho’s novel “The Alchemist”, ‘When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it‘, things start falling in place and an unexpected journey to another of their cousin’s place enables them to achieve their dream. A dream they could live. All seven of them.

What holds the story is the innocent narration that allows the innate nature of the animals to come out so brilliantly. Each animal has a unique identity and a unique nature, their own strengths and weaknesses, their hopes, aspirations and desires from life and from others, much like humans. The way the natural surroundings are described, does not leave a feeling that something might be missing or that it would have been better had their been something more or something different.

And it is not one of those goodie-good books that have all things going as per the best possible. The cat and dog fight, the brief fight for supremacy, the conflict of opinion, the sudden death of a benefactor, the crashing of dreams and thinking that all was over, all make the story really realistic and far more acceptable than an ordinary ever happy storyline might have been.

Having grown up on those numerous animal stories of Panchatantra and Jataka and the others, to get me to read an animal story from start till end, without my getting bored and then smiling, speaks a lot, a real lot about the book.

And yes, the book also has a little gift, an audio CD of the ‘Fiderallalla’ song these animals make. Some music lover friends of mine, who listened to the song, really liked it, despite having not read the book or knowing the context of the song. So, even the music scores as well as the book.

I enjoyed your book. I loved the depth and breadth of the characters as…

Dr. Othmer,

I enjoyed your book. I loved the depth and breadth of the characters as well as the magical qualities of the story. I felt as if I was along with my friends Mr. Guinness, Lexi and Rosie on their grand adventure. I was gently reminded of personal acceptance as well as interpersonal acceptance. I was reminded that the adventures of life never end… and personal growth may cause some nights sleeping in the shed if I do not accept the changes placed before me. I also appreciate the wisdom of the Condor…we have unseen friends who will help us on our journey if we open our hearts and minds to the opportunities presented to us. Thank you for sharing your beautiful tale. Feel free to use the preceding review anyway that you wish.

Thank you for sharing!

Barb

magical tale filled with wisdom and wonder. This tale takes an…

Whims, Wits and Whiskers: A Californian Pet Tale is a magical tale filled with wisdom and wonder. This tale takes an eclectic group of rescued dogs on an adventure that is filled with laughter, love and compromise. These animals find themselves well cared for, and yet, they are bored and restless. They are looking for the illusive “more” that leads even humankind into unrest and discontent. Mr. Guinness, Lexi, and Rosie are very lovable dogs that invite the reader to join them in welcoming guests that include a very stubborn Bassett hound-beagle mix and two uppity cats who often speak French. The illustrations within the book provide a visual guide as well as a platform to learn more about plants and their scientific Latin names. Whims, Wits and Whiskers:A Californian Pet Tale is a book that stretches the imagination and feeds the soul. This book makes the reader laugh while considering his/her own contentment. Is the reader content or complacent? This quaint tale addresses acceptance of others as well offering the wisdom of self-acceptance. It is a light-hearted romp in “paradise,” that reminds the reader of childhood abandon and unconditional love. This is a beautiful melodious book (it comes with a heartwarming CD) that is wonderful for animal lovers of all ages.

Barbara Paxton DiBlasi (MA, MS)Media Specialist
Educator for 27 years

The book warmly encourages self-discovery, and it’s a satisfying journey.

Dogs and cats team up and put on a show in an endearing celebration of friendship, cooperation and creativity for children by clinical psychiatry and psychology scholar Othmer (The Clinical Interview Using DSM-IV-TR Vol. 2, 2002,etc.).

compassionate shih tzu Lexi; spunky Tibetan terrier Rosie; bumptious (and gassy) beagle/bassett hound George; kindly yellow Lab Bailey; and suave tomcats Cosmo and Miles. The big question is how to pass the time, and, through trial and error, the animals—captured with artistic wit by illustrator Rosean—discover their individual talents. After the group lets loose in a cacophonous song-and-dance frenzy, some hummingbirds teach them to sing and perform in harmony.

(The author includes two jaunty original tunes at the book’s website.)

The friends decide to perform a show, but have difficulty deciding on a location. Cosmo votes for the Galápagos Islands; George prefers Africa, with a post-show hunt for wildebeests and elephants. Discouragement sets in when they realize they have no means of travel, but Bailey comforts them, using real-world coping skills that Othmer imparts with lightness and humor (“Just because we can’t figure out right now how to get there doesn’t mean we will never know”).

The pets eventually live their dream of performing when the human master of the house flies them to a woodsy Missouri city. The friends learn about themselves throughout their give-and-take creative process, and their story is enlivened by anthropomorphic animal behavior: Alpha dog Mr. Guinness makes lists with pencil and pad, Miles and Cosmo are tango experts, Cosmo carries a “mouse leather satchel.”

The book warmly encourages self-discovery, and it’s a satisfying journey.